UNITED STATES
Down syndrome Barbie made
Toy company Mattel on Tuesday revealed its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. Mattel collaborated with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to create the Barbie and “ensure the doll accurately represents a person with Down syndrome,” the company said. Design features of the new Barbie were made under guidance from the society, Mattel said. In addition to portraying some physical characteristics of a person with Down syndrome, the Barbie’s clothing and accessories carry special meaning. The blue and yellow on the doll’s dress, accompanied by butterflies, represent symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness, while the three chevrons on the Barbie’s necklace represent how people with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome, Mattel said. In addition, the Barbie wears ankle foot orthotics, which some children with Down syndrome use. “This means so much for our community, who for the first time can play with a Barbie doll that looks like them,” NDSS president and CEO Kandi Pickard said in a statement. “This Barbie serves as a reminder that we should never underestimate the power of representation.”
JAPAN
Eel rice remark sparks furor
The nation’s public safety chief has come under fire for saying that he enjoyed eel rice so much that he kept eating after his agency informed him of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s narrow escape from a pipe bomb attack two weeks ago. Koichi Tani, chair of the National Public Safety Commission for Kishida’s Cabinet, on Tuesday told a governing party gathering that he had the local delicacy in front of him for lunch when the phone rang. “I was told that we can eat delicious unagi [eel] rice bowl there, and I was really looking forward to it,” Tani told party lawmakers. “Just as I was going to dig into it, I got a call from the National Police Agency saying something was thrown at the prime minister in Wakayama, but I fully savored and finished ... my unadon [eel rice bowl],” he said, beaming. Tani’s eel comment immediately sparked criticism and concern at parliament and on social media about Japan’s public safety. During a parliamentary session, some opposition lawmakers demanded Tani’s dismissal. “As head of the National Public Safety Commission, [Tani] lacks a sense of urgency,” said Jun Azumi, an executive of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. “Isn’t this a negative for the prime minister to have such a person as chief executive responsible for Japan’s security?”
BELGIUM
Gull shriek champ crowned
The Belgian coastal town of De Panne on Sunday organized the third European gull screeching championship, where a jury crowned the best imitation of the bird’s distinctive shriek. About 50 participants took part in the contest, including first-timers and returning participants. Each was judged by a jury which awarded 15 points for how well they imitated the gull’s sound and five points for their behavior. Maren, who was named runner-up, said: “So I started practicing and my friends said: ‘Oh that’s so nice, and then they sent me the links of this championship and I thought why not. This is so much fun.’” Gulls are often despised by the public because of their intrusive behaviour and the contest also aims to change their image.
A string of rape and assault allegations against the son of Norway’s future queen have plunged the royal family into its “biggest scandal” ever, wrapping up an annus horribilis for the monarchy. The legal troubles surrounding Marius Borg Hoiby, the 27-year-old son born of a relationship before Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s marriage to Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, have dominated the Scandinavian country’s headlines since August. The tall strapping blond with a “bad boy” look — often photographed in tuxedos, slicked back hair, earrings and tattoos — was arrested in Oslo on Aug. 4 suspected of assaulting his girlfriend the previous night. A photograph
‘GOOD POLITICS’: He is a ‘pragmatic radical’ and has moderated his rhetoric since the height of his radicalism in 2014, a lecturer in contemporary Islam said Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is the leader of the Islamist alliance that spearheaded an offensive that rebels say brought down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ended five decades of Baath Party rule in Syria. Al-Jolani heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is rooted in Syria’s branch of al-Qaeda. He is a former extremist who adopted a more moderate posture in order to achieve his goals. Yesterday, as the rebels entered Damascus, he ordered all military forces in the capital not to approach public institutions. Last week, he said the objective of his offensive, which saw city after city fall from government control, was to
IVY LEAGUE GRADUATE: Suspect Luigi Nicholas Mangione, whose grandfather was a self-made real-estate developer and philanthropist, had a life of privilege The man charged with murder in the killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare made it clear he was not going to make things easy on authorities, shouting unintelligibly and writhing in the grip of sheriff’s deputies as he was led into court and then objecting to being brought to New York to face trial. The displays of resistance on Tuesday were not expected to significantly delay legal proceedings for Luigi Nicholas Mangione, who was charged in last week’s Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, the leader of the US’ largest medical insurance company. Little new information has come out about motivation,
‘MONSTROUS CRIME’: The killings were overseen by a powerful gang leader who was convinced his son’s illness was caused by voodoo practitioners, a civil organization said Nearly 200 people in Haiti were killed in brutal weekend violence reportedly orchestrated against voodoo practitioners, with the government on Monday condemning a massacre of “unbearable cruelty.” The killings in the capital, Port-au-Prince, were overseen by a powerful gang leader convinced that his son’s illness was caused by followers of the religion, the civil organization the Committee for Peace and Development (CPD) said. It was the latest act of extreme violence by powerful gangs that control most of the capital in the impoverished Caribbean country mired for decades in political instability, natural disasters and other woes. “He decided to cruelly punish all
RSS